Process of producing gas from bituminous fuel.



O.- C. BERRY. PROCESS OF PRODUCING GAS FROM BITUMINOUS FUEL;

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1008. 1,1 1&215, Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Z W m WITNESSES Am a, J

OTTO C. BERRY, OF GLENDALE, OHIO.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING GAS FROM BITUMINOUS FUEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Application filed May 6, 1908. Serial it'd-131,177.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO C. Bazaar, a citi-i zen] of the United States,residing in Glen-5 dale, county of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Im-f provcments in the Process ofProducing Gasg from Bituminous Fuel, of which the follow-: ing is afull, clear, and exact dcscriptioiuj reference being had to theaccompanying: drawings, forming part of this specification.

The special object of my invention is to prlin'ide a process in whichbituminous fuel can be used for the production of the gas, and by whichnovel process I am able to eliminate entirely in the furnace itself, allof the tarry vapors which necessarily are distilled at the lowertemperatures with the use of fuel of this character.

Coal tar is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons. The processes in commonuse in gas producer practice for the destruction of these hydrocarbonsare all based upon one or both. of the following Well known principles:(a) If tar vapor is caused to reach a suiliciently high temperature inthe presence of incandescent fuel, it will be completely reduced tofixed gases and free carbon, or lamp black. (5) Tar vapor will burn tocarbon dioxid CO, and water vapor, H O. These gases may then be passedthrough a bed of incandescent fuel and reduced to free hydrogen IL, andcarbon monoxid, CO. Many producers have been designed to apply theseprinciples in What is known as the recirculating process. In thisprocess the distilled volatile matter is drawn off from the upperportion of the fuel column and then reentercd into the producer at somepoint lower down. These recirculated gases may or may not be mixed withair before entering the producer. and may be reentered below the gratesand there completely burned, in the Gerdes process, or at the combustionzone, or at the incandescent zone, as in the Whitfield producers.

In. the producers previously designed, the

"ucl above the point Where the finished gas taken oil, has been heatedby conduction from below, and in some cases by the hot gases havingtheir exit passageway through or around the upper part of the coal bed.In some cases, notably in the Mend process, some of the producer gasitself is drawn up llii'nugh these upper layers of coal, and aids inbeating them.

Coal is a very poor conductor of heat.

Very little heat can pass through a bed of coal by being conducted orracia'tcd from lump to lump. Careful tests show that a temperature of1,000 F.. or more is ncccs sary to drive oil the last trace ofitar fromAmerican coals. It requires a large amount of heat to dis-til all of themoisture and volai tend to form a definite path for themselves throughthe fuel column to the point of out let. Since the coal is such a poorconductor of heat, the temperature at any point in the incandescent zonewill depend upon the temperature reached by the gases in the combustionzone immediately below. Should too much of the reiintercd gas beconcentratcd atone point on the grates, they would tend to form coldpaths for themselves up through the incandescent zone, and thus fail tobe properly reduced. It is a part of the object of my invention to causethe rciintcred gases to be introduced immediately below the combustionzone of the fuel, and to be evenly distributed over the entire gratearea.

The ideal explosive mixture of producer gas and air containssubstantially equal volumes of each. In case either gas or air ispresent in any very considerable excess, the mixture will not beexplosive. For this reason it permissible to mix small amounts of gaswith the air for combustion, without it being necessary for them to burnas they mix. In this process I rcadmit so much of the gas that it isnecessary for it to burn as it mixes with the air, to prevent theformation of large bodies of an explosive mixture. I therefore introducethe gases under the combiistion zone of the producer, unmixed with air,where they are quite evenly distributcd over the entire grate area andburn as they are there mixed with air. V

In the apparatus I have designed to carry out my procmss the necessarydraft obtaincd from the suction of the engine, although the process canbe applied very readily to pressure producers without its parting fromthe spirit of my invention.

To carry out my process i make use of the following apparatus asillustrating one type of producer.

in the drawings Figure 1 a central vertical section taken on the lines El of Fig. 2 of my improved proclucer. Fig. .2 is a cross section oftaken on the ines i l--13, C--D, otlf-ig. l.

The producer is provided with a. suitehle sheet steel shell 1, and asubstantial brick lining 2, with fire clay pecking 3, hetWf-BGZI thefire hriclt lining and the outer shell.

4k is the coal. hopper for the introduction of the coal to the producer,of any suitable and Well lmowu construction, anti 5 are the grate barssuite-01y supported in any convenient Way over the ash pit Formed in thefire clay lining about mid.- Wsuy from top to bottom of the producer isan annular chamber 7, having a free uniiiterruptecl annular opening inconnection with the central portion of the producer. This annularchamber and its opening into the main chamber of the prot iucer is preferebly formed. by the overhanging depeiul ing lip 1 of the tire clayliniu 1:. instead of permitting this over-hanging lip 1'3 to supportitself illustreteolin the drawings, the annular chamber 7, may he formeiWithin the fire ole-y lining and a sufiicieut numher of ports maybeleft from the main chemoer into this annular chamber '2', of suilicientsize to permit 9. substantially uuinterrupted flow of gases from themain chamber into the ounuler chamber. n Connected with this annularchamber '7, one side is the gas outlet 3 for the procluoer gas to theengine In the upper portion 01'? the retort the magazine extension.provides an annular chamber 18, which free from cool end evenwithout e.coal hopper oi the con-- struction iihistreteel the producer nevercompletely iilleu. with cool so thetathere is elweys en open chamber atthe upper cool.

19 1s a pessegew g from this chamber substantial size endiifi is anannular chars her formed in. the iire clay lining in the lower portionof the producenenti provided With ports 11, opening into the sshzonejust below the combustion zone of the fuel column. This annularchamber 10., i s connected with the opening 19, by a passageway 8 ofconsiderable size, formecl in the the brick lining, or between the firehriclz liniug and the producer shell. in the upper enci. of

this passageway loo tecl e steam blower 13, of considerable size, and ofmay ordinary coustructiozu steam heiug S'Jppiieil through e valvecontrolled pipe 20. Auotl'ier passagewey is also proviclecl comprisingpipe 9, opening into the passageway 19., through the port 9, coimectetlliorihie 'mixture will burn zontelly i the fire loricl: chamber A pliedwith ports 22, for central tieli the gases into the middle portion kproducer just below the combustion chamber of the fuel column. This pipe9 is also eupplied with an orc'iinary construction of steam blowersimiloi' to the steam blower l3 eutl the steam supplied to this letterblower through the valve controlled steam. pipe 2i.

".4 is an ordinary construction of e sight opening or peep hole throughthe fire clay lining to enable the operator to determine the approximatetemperature of the mess of fuel at the point of sight.

in operation, oily improved producer follows the general. ractice of a,recirculating; prodlucer in pert as follows: The coal is trapped intothe retort through the coal hopper 4, the only air inlet is under thebars 5, and the linishetl'ges is taken sit near the middle of the fuel.cellulite. through the annular chamber T 0.116; the pipe it ire pro' esupon the previous practice in the 61" lowing points (a) A. suiiicientlystrong blower is pro vicled and passageways of sufficient size so that econsidemhlo portion of hot producer gas itself may he imon up from heloweucl. recirculated along with the volatile hydrocarbonsclistillecl off'iir'oiii the green coal. The amount of recirculated is so regulated asto keep the cool at the desired temperature at peep l le 14. Thisaccomplishes two res ts; h the sensible heat of the gas is given up tothe coal. hoot? 1g it to atemperature beyond that at which. all theterry 'vepors CliflVffiIl ofil. Seoonl,-- the positive current of upferal forces the recirculation of all the 'f clrii'eii oi? and preventstheir health up sud. passing out with the gas the en (3)) Therecirculating lolow oiently powerful to continue its f in spite anyressouehle time the engine suction. This inches toe recie culotiiigprocess positive shi l continuous, iio

suction matter how much the very.

(0} The are re-enteretl into the pro ducer immediately below thecombustion zone of fuel, and; in such way as to (lie-- tribute themquite uniformly over the entire area that portion oi t1. base oi theiuel coiumiit; at is open. to eclmit air. Tihis forces the returned gasto in with the air immediately before the combustion zone is reached.and air end gas will he uniformly mixed that point. .cuyocmhu J i W gustsome it.

:iufueturiiig" proclucer iuel, which wool is it vapors t formed by 9ficient to distil all of the tarryvapors from the fuel, by drawing asul'liciently large portion of the hot finished producer gas from belowup through said body of fuel to accomplish this, in connection with theheat conducted or radiated to this part, and then in returning the gas,along with these dis tilled tarry vapors and unmixed with air, into theproducer immediately below or into the combustion zone of the fuelcolumn.

2. The process of manufacturing producer. gas from bituminous fuel,which consists in maintaining in that part of the producer immediatelyabove the highest point passed through by the finished gas, in therecirculating type of producer, a temperature sufficient to distil allof the tarry vapors from the fuel, by drawing a sufficiently largeportion of the hot finished producer gas from below up through said bodyof fuel to ac- 'complish is, in connection with the heat conducted orradiated to this part, by means of ii sufficiently powerful suction todeliver the gas in spite of any reasonable increase in the enginesuction, and then in returning the gas along with the distilled tarryvapors and unmixed with air into the producer immediately below or intothe combustion zone of the fuel column.

The process of manufacturing producer gas from bituminousfuel,whichconsists in maintaining in that part of the producerimmediately above the highest point passed through by the finished gas,in the jrecirculating type of producer, a temperature suflicicnt todistil all of the tarry vapors from the fuel, by drawing a sufficientlylarge portion of the hot finished producer gas from below up throughsaid body of fuel to accomplish this, in connection with the heatconducted or radiated to this part, and when in returning the gas, alongwith these tarry vapors and unmixed with air to a zone immediately belowthe combustion zone of the fuel, and in such away as to distribute themover substantially the entire area of that? portion of the bottom of thefuel column 1 that is open to admit air, and allowing air and gas to mixjust before or just after entering the above mentioned. combustionzonc.

4-. The process of manufacturing producer gas from bituminous fuel,which consists in maintaining in that part of the producer immediatelyabove the highest point passed through by the finished gas, in therecirculating typeof producer, a temperature suf ficient to distil allthe tarry vapors from the fuel, by drawing a suiiiciently large portionof the hot finished producer as from below up through said body of fuelto accomplish this, in connection with the heat conducted or radiated tothis part, by means of a sutficiently powerful suction to deliver thegas in spite of any reasonable increase in the enginesuction, and thenin returning the gas along with these tarry vapors and unmixed with theair to a zone immediately below the combustion zone of the fuel, and insuch a way as to distribute them over substantially the entire area ofthat portion of the bottom of the fuel column that is open to admit air,and allowing air and gas to mix just before or just after entering theabove mentioned combustion zone.

OTTO C. BlQItlhY.

Witnesses: V

ARTHUR H. Ewann, Bnssin A. BEALL.

